Fricke played for the Cowboys from 1999 to 2001, starting five games in 2000. After earning All American in his senior year of high school, Fricke received a scholarship to the University of Houston where he was converted from a defensive lineman to center. He was drafted by the Giants and spent time in NFL Europe before being picked up by Dallas.

Recently, Fricke has served as an assistant coach at Centennial High School in Frisco. Centennial’s head coach and athletic director, Mark Howard, confirmed Fricke’s death in an interview with Fox 26 Sports.

"Ben passed away (Monday) from colon cancer," said Howard. "I've known Ben for three years and gave him his first high school coaching job. It's like we've had a death in the family. That's what I told the team (Tuesday)."